Thursday, February 14, 2013

Book Review: Days of Blood and Starlight, by Laini Taylor @lainitaylor

Let me say right off the bat that if you are looking forward to the continuing romance between Akiva and Karou, you will be disappointed. Days of Blood and Starlight is a book about war. Karou is with the Chimaera and Akiva is with the Seraphim -- and both these factions refuse to stop killing each other, even though their world is being decimated by the battle.

Neither Karou nor Akiva is happy with the war. They vowed to make a difference and make things better in Daughter of Smoke & Bone, and they still feel like the world could be better, but Karou is so ticked at Akiva that any hope of them working together is lost.

Karou takes on a new roll within the Chimaera, which adds a new aspect to her character and puts her in a delicate situation. They need her, but they hate her. I enjoyed the expanding relationship between Akiva and his brother and sister. Zuzana and Mik are just the icing on the cake, as far as characters go.

The plot is intricate. There are a lot of secrets within the two sides that are revealed as we go along, and I was surprised by the twists. Taylor has created an imaginative world and weaves a plot through that world like no other.

I really don't have much to complain about. I thought the book was a bit long and tedious at times. I did read it very fast, because I wanted to find out what happened, but it takes concentration. There are a lot of characters and they are changing all the time, so you have to stay on your toes.

Fans of Daughter of Smoke & Bone should be very happy with Days of Blood & Starlight. This is another in a growing list of "awesome second books in the series" that I've read lately! And given the setup at the ending, I can't wait to see what is going to happen in book three!

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, November 6, 2012
Copy obtained from the library
517 pages

3 comments:

I felt the same way, I really felt like I needed maximum concentration during this book, but I still zoomed through it because I just couldn't wait to see what happened. I was slightly disappointed that there wasn't more romance, but I'm really looking forward to what book 3 may bring. Wonderful review!

I recently read Daughter of Smoke and Bone and cannot wait to read this one! I'm SO happy you enjoyed it and that we are able to see more Karou and Akiva together, yay! I'm looking forward to being more in the Chimera's world too! Thanks for the awesome review, Annette! :)

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About Me

I'm a high school librarian. I live in a small, fairly rural town with my husband, and a dog who is very spoiled. I love to read. I read mostly YA, my favorite is historical fiction, but I mix in the occasional adult novel and even some non-fiction. I love to write about what I've read and chat with others about what they've read, so blogging is perfect! I've just moved into a brand new house so I'm spending a lot of time decorating. My other hobbies are cooking and sewing.

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Some of the books I review are Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs) which are provided by a publisher or author to get my honest opinion of the book. The books are free, I get to keep them, and that's the only compensation I get for the review. Here's the FTC Guidelines.